Chrysanthemum plant named `Puffin`

ABSTRACT

A distinct cultivar of Chrysanthemum plant named &#39;Puffin&#39;, characterized by its tall, vigorous and rapid growth rate; large daisy-type inflorescences; light pink ray florets with bright greenish yellow disc florets; numerous inflorescences per plant; numerous disc florets per inflorescence; long and strong peduncles; and good garden performance.

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of gardenChrysanthemum plant, botanically known as Dendranthema grandiflora andreferred to by the cultivar name Puffin.

The new cultivar is a product of a planned breeding program conducted bythe inventor in Chichester, West Sussex, United Kingdom. The objectiveof the breeding program was to create new garden Chrysanthemum cultivarshaving desirable inflorescence colors and good garden performance.

The new cultivar originated from a cross made by the inventor of thecommercial cultivar Stargazer (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 5,695) as the female,or seed, parent with the proprietary selection 10/GM/94 as the male, orpollen, parent.

The new Chrysanthemum was discovered and selected by the inventor as aflowering plant within the progeny of the stated cross in a controlledenvironment in Chichester, West Sussex, United Kingdom.

Asexual reproduction of the new cultivar by terminal cuttings taken atChichester, West Sussex, United Kingdom, has shown that the uniquefeatures of this new Chrysanthemum are stable and reproduced true totype in successive generations.

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined tobe the unique characteristics of `Puffin`. These characteristics incombination distinguish `Puffin` as a new and distinct cultivar:

1. Tall, vigorous and rapid growth rate.

2. Large daisy-type inflorescences.

3. Light pink ray florets with bright greenish yellow disc florets.

4. Numerous inflorescences per plant.

5. Numerous disc florets per inflorescence.

6. Long and strong peduncles.

7. Good garden performance.

The cultivar Puffin has not been observed under all possibleenvironmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat withvariations in environment such as temperature, daylength and lightintensity, without, however, any variance in genotype.

In side-by-side comparisons in Chichester, West Sussex, United Kingdom,under commercial practice, plants of the new Chrysanthemum are moreupright and vigorous, have larger inflorescences, retain ray floretcolor longer and flower later than plants of the female parent, thecultivar Stargazer. In addition, plants of the new Chrysanthemum haveray florets that are lighter in color than ray florets of plants of thecultivar Stargazer. In the same comparisons, plants of the newChrysanthemum are taller, more open in plant habit, more vigorous, havelarger inflorescences and flower earlier than plants of the male parent,the proprietary selection 10/GM/94. In addition, plants of the newChrysanthemum have light pink ray florets whereas plants of theproprietary selection 10/GM/94 have yellow ray florets.

Plants of the new Chrysanthemum can be compared to the cultivar Naomi(U.S. Plant Pat. No. 7,513). However, in side-by-side comparisonsconducted in Oxnard, Calif. under commercial practice, plants of the newChrysanthemum differed from plants of the cultivar Naomi in thefollowing characteristics:

1. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum are taller and more vigorous thanplants of the cultivar Naomi.

2. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum have more leaves per lateral stem andlonger petioles than plants of the cultivar Naomi.

3. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum flower later than plants of thecultivar Naomi.

4. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum have larger inflorescences thanplants of the cultivar Naomi.

5. Ray florets of plants of the new Chrysanthemum are light pink incolor and ray florets of plants of the cultivar Naomi are lavender incolor.

6. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum have more disc florets and a largerdisc diameter than plants of the cultivar Naomi.

7. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum have considerably longer and strongerpeduncles than plants of the cultivar Naomi.

A detailed comparison of plants of the new Chrysanthemum and thecultivar Naomi appears in Chart A at the end of the specification.

The accompanying colored photographs illustrate the overall appearanceof the new cultivar, showing the colors as true as it is reasonablypossible to obtain in colored reproductions of this type.

The first photograph comprises a side perspective view of a typicalflowering 16.5-cm container of `Puffin` with one cutting in thecontainer.

The second photograph comprises a close-up view of five leaves atdifferent stages of development and a fully opened inflorescence.Foliage and floret colors in the photographs may appear different fromthe actual colors due to light reflectance.

In the following description, color references are made to The RoyalHorticultural Society Colour Chart except where general terms ofordinary dictionary significance are used. The following observationsand measurements describe plants grown in Oxnard, California, undercommercial practice in a glass-covered greenhouse with average nighttemperatures of 18° C., average day temperatures of 30° C., and lightlevels of 2,000 (cloudy conditions) to 9,000 (sunny conditions)footcandles.

After sticking unrooted cuttings of the new cultivar, plants received 4weeks of long day/short nights followed by short day/long nights untilflowering. Measurements and numerical values represent ranges oraverages for six typical flowering plants.

Botanical classification: Dendranathema grandiflora cultivar Puffin.

Commercial classification: Garden chrysanthemum.

Parentage:

Female, or seed, parent.--Dendranthema grandiflora commercial cultivarStargazer (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 5,695).

Male, or pollen, parent.--Dendranthema grandiflora proprietary selection10/GM/94.

Propagation:

Type.--Terminal tip cuttings.

Time to rooting.--10 to 12 days with soil temperatures of 20° C.

Rooting habit.--Fine, fibrous and well-branched.

Plant description:

Appearance.--Perennial herbaceous garden plant. Tall and vigorous with arapid growth rate, stems upright.

Plant height.--About 26 cm.

Lateral branch length.--About 24 cm.

Quantity of lateral branches after removal of apical meristem.--About 3.

Stem color.--139B.

Foliage description.--Number of leaves per plant: About 57. Number ofleaves per lateral branch: About 19. Leaf arrangement: Alternate. Leafsize, fully expanded: Length: About 5.3 cm. Width: About 4.8 cm. Leafapex: Rounded apiculate. Leaf base: Attenuate. Leaf margin: Palmatelylobed. Leaf texture: Abaxial and adaxial surfaces slightly pubescent,smooth and dull. Veins prominent on abaxial surface. Petiole length:About 2.9 cm. Color: Young foliage adaxial surface: 137A. Young foliageabaxial surface: 137C. Fully expanded foliage adaxial surface: 137A.Fully expanded foliage abaxial surface: 137C. Venation abaxial surface:137D. Venation adaxial surface: 137C. Petiole: 137D.

Inflorescence description:

Appearance.--Daisy-type inflorescence form. Inflorescences borne onterminals above foliage, arising from leaf axils. Disc and ray floretsarranged acropetally on a flat capitulum.

Flowering response.--Under natural conditions, plants flower in theautumn. Inflorescence initiation and development can be induced undershort day/long night conditions (at least 13.5 hours of darkness).Plants exposed to 3 or 4 weeks of long day/short night conditions aftersticking followed by photoinductive short day/long night conditions,flower about 54 days later.

Quantity of Inflorescences.--About 7 inflorescences per flowering stem.

Inflorescence size.--Diameter: About 5.2 cm. Depth (height): About 1.1cm. Diameter of disc: About 1.3 cm.

Opening inflorescences.--Bud shape: Spherical, flattened. Bud size:Length: About 9 mm. Width: About 1.3 cm. Bud color: 62D.

Ray florets.--Shape: Spatulate, broad spoon with tubular base. Size:Length: About 2.4 cm. Width: About 6 mm. Apex: Narrow tri-dentate. Base:Acute, tubular. Margin: Entire. Texture: Smooth, matte and glabrous.Aspect: Flat. Number of ray florets per inflorescence: About 60. Color:When opening, adaxial surface: 62C. When opening, abaxial surface: 62D.Mature, adaxial surface: 65C. Mature, abaxial surface: 62D. Fading to:65D.

Disc florets.--Shape: Tubular. Size: Length: About 4 mm. Width: About 1mm. Number of disc florets per inflorescence: About 150. Color:Immature: 154D. Mature: 154C.

Peduncle.--Aspect: Strong and angled 35 to 45° to the stem. Length:First peduncle: About 8.8 cm. Fourth peduncle: About 11.2 cm. Texture:Pubescent. Color: 147C.

Reproductive organs.--Androecium: Present on disc florets only. Anthercolor: 12A. Pollen: Small amount of pollen, 12A in color. Gynoecium:Present on both ray and disc florets. Style color: 154C.

Disease resistance: No known Chrysanthemum diseases observed to date onplants grown under commercial greenhouse conditions.

Seed production: Seed production has not been observed.

                  CHART A                                                         ______________________________________                                        CHARACTERISTIC   `PUFFIN`    `NAOMI`                                          ______________________________________                                        GROWTH HABIT     Tall        Medium                                           PLANT HEIGHT     About 26 cm About 22 cm                                      LATERAL BRANCH LENGTH                                                                          About 24 cm About 19 cm                                      GROWTH RATE      Rapid       Moderate                                         VIGOR            High        Moderate                                         STEM COLOR       139B        146D                                             QUANTITY OF LEAVES PER                                                                         About 19    About 14                                         LATERAL BRANCH                                                                PETIOLE LENGTH   About 2.9 cm                                                                              About 2 cm                                       YOUNG FOLIAGE COLOR,                                                                           137A        147A                                             ADAXIAL SURFACE                                                               YOUNG FOLIAGE COLOR,                                                                           137C        147B                                             ABAXIAL SURFACE                                                               MATURE FOLIAGE COLOR,                                                                          137A        147A                                             ADAXIAL SURFACE                                                               MATURE FOLIAGE COLOR,                                                                          137C        147B                                             ABAXIAL SURFACE                                                               PETIOLE COLOR    137D        147C                                             TIME TO FLOWER   About 54 days                                                                             About 49 days                                    INFLORESCENCE DIAMETER                                                                         About 5.2 cm                                                                              About 4.8 cm                                     BUD COLOR        62D         75B                                              RAY FLORET       Broad spoon with                                                                          Narrow, long-                                    APPEARANCE/ASPECT                                                                              tubular base, flat                                                                        handled spoon,                                                                slightly cupped                                  RAY FLORET APEX  Narrow tri- Emarginate                                                        dentate                                                      RAY FLORET COLOR,                                                                              62C         80C                                              WHEN OPENING, ADAXIAL                                                         RAY FLORET COLOR, WHEN                                                                         62D         75C                                              OPENING, ABAXIAL                                                              RAY FLORET COLOR,                                                                              65C         75A                                              MATURE, ADAXIAL                                                               RAY FLORET COLOR,                                                                              62D         75D                                              MATURE, ABAXIAL                                                               RAY FLORET COLOR FADING                                                                        65D         75C                                              TO                                                                            QUANTITY OF DISC FLORETS                                                                       About 150   About 118                                        PER INFLORESCENCE                                                             DIAMETER OF DISC About 1.3 cm                                                                              About 1.1 cm                                     PEDUNCLE LENGTH, FIRST                                                                         About 8.8 cm                                                                              About 1.5 cm                                     PEDUNCLE LENGTH, FOURTH                                                                        About 11.2 cm                                                                             About 3.5 cm                                     PEDUNCLE STRENGTH                                                                              Strong      Moderate                                         PEDUNCLE ANGLE TO STEM                                                                         35 to 45°                                                                          20 to 25°                                 ANTHER COLOR     12A         17A                                              POLLEN COLOR/AMOUNT                                                                            12A, little 17A, abundant                                    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It is claimed:
 1. A new and distinct cultivar of Chrysanthemum plantnamed `Puffin`, as illustrated and described.